UK aims to test 100,000 people a day for coronavirus by the end of April
UK health minister Matt Hancock has set a goal of delivering 100,000 Covid-19 tests per day by the end of the month after the government’s response to the pandemic faced sustained criticism.
In a wide-ranging defence of the UK government’s approach so far, he committed to at least 25,000 tests a day.
Mr Hancock vowed to “strain every sinew" to defeat coronavirus and to make sure frontline staff have the "right equipment”.
He said that 45 million pieces of protective equipment have already been delivered.
Community pharmacies are to get £300 million of funding to get vital medicines to people and also to ease the burden on the NHS while £13.4 billion of historic NHS debt has been written off.
The government is aiming for 100,000 tests a day by the end of April, he said.
This includes the swab tests currently being used to check if people already have the virus, as well as the antibody blood test which, although not developed yet, can test if somebody has had the virus as is therefore likely to be immune to reinfection.
Mr Hancock said: “We will expand testing to critical emergency staff and their families and I can announce today that we are expanding testing for NHS staff further. As we ramp-up the numbers we will test critical key workers and over time we will expand testing to the community. Our ultimate goal is that anyone who needs a test would have one.
“I am now setting the goal of 100,000 tests per day by the end of this month – that is the goal and I am determined that we will get there and to help drive this work forward I'm pleased that Professor John Newton from Public Health England will be taking on the new role to co-ordinate this national effort for testing.”
